I normally don’t like to relax. Seriously, it’s not my thing. Whether I’m writing, smoking, walking, reading or yelling at a civil servant, I always have to be doing something. Often, I like having a few irons in the fire, for example, yelling at a civil servant while pacing and smoking my pipe. That’s a cool mental image that I offer to you free of charge.
The Blue Lagoon, more than an hour outside Reykjavik, doesn’t provide civil servants, smoking dens or anger triggers. The sole purpose of this destination is to help you unwind. So, I wasn’t sure how I’d handle it. I’ve only been truly relaxed once in my life– October 1999. I was on a beach in Carmel, CA for a few hours while out west on business. For some reason, that particular spot on that day did it. But, my life was so packed with stress at that time, that I had the need to truly relax.
I’m in a better place now, so I didn’t expect Iceland’s Blue Lagoon to work wonders, but I figured it would be a nice break from the norm. It was. Laura and I were there for several hours, and I was not looking at my watch the whole time.
The Blue Lagoon is a tourist spot, and one look at it explains why. The geothermal pool is a deep blue, and it is surrounded by moss-dotted volcanic rock. Hell, just to look at it would have been worth the hour-long bus ride at the hands of one of the world’s worst drivers (I’m talking about Icelanders in general, now). But, why sniff when you can taste, right? I hopped in.
The water is packed with all kinds of minerals. Having 
studied philosophy in college, I really could give a shit about geological minutiae; I’m not into details. But, I do understand that the minerals in the lagoon are supposed to be good for your skin. It felt nice, so I agree with the experts.
The black volcanic rock sand at the bottom of the lagoon was wild– to see and touch. The water is so blue tat you can’t see the bottom. I learned about the sand only because I grabbed a fistful. I was just curious; I wanted to know what was under my feet.
Further out in the lagoon, the texture of the bottom became different, slimy. Instead of volcanic sand, it’s some kind of silica mud. This same mud is offered in buckets around the lagoon. You’re supposed to smear it on your face and wait five to 10 minutes. I guess people are more likely to smear bucket mud on their faces than bottom mud. I chose bucket mud– twice. After a while, it tingles, even burns a little.
The water is advertised to be warm. I guess this is true, but “warm” varies. Remember, it’s around 55 degrees above the water. Some spots are mild, others hot and still others are pipin’. I like my water scalding. There were a few pockets that worked, but they would shift after a while.
It’s a strange feeling to be hot until you stand. Above the water, the air was chilly. Repeated blasts of wind added intensity to the cold and made small waves in the lagoon. It rained a little, and the gusts mixed rain with water picked up from the surface to shove in my face. But, from the neck down, it was perfect. I learned to walk in something of a squat. Thus, I could move around the lagoon without getting cold … until it occurred to me to swim. To make the common sense breach worse, I used to be a competitive swimmer. I worked as a lifeguard in high school and college. So, why would it occur to me to move around in water by swimming? Duh …
As the Blue Lagoon became crowded, I saw the funniest scene in Iceland. Hundreds of people were navigating the waters with only their heads above water. Bodiless heads seemed to float around as if powered by will alone. It was absolutely hilarious.
I was one of those heads.
Leaving the water was a problem. consider the situation. You’re enjoying the warm embrace of the Blue Lagoon. You watch someone stand. Then, he climbs the stars at a run and darts straight to the door. The first time I left the water, I was one of these morons. It sucked. The second time, though, I found a better approach. Inside the door is a small thermal pool. It has a door to the outdoor water, so you can enter and exit the building through the water. It isn’t as warm as the water outside, but it allows a smoother transition.
I’ve picked up the habit of posting the most popular search terms used to find my other blog, Migrant Blogger, and I think I’ll do it here. Wandering Blogger is finally picking up some momentum! Well, since launching, the most popular search term appears to consist of variations on “Cafe Mozart closed,” often including “Manhattan” or “New York” in the query. Yes, the restaurant did close, much to my chagrin (but not my father’s). The place lost its lease, which is why it shut down (to answer one search engine-based question).
